The PCOR Partnership, in collaboration with UH Energy’s Center for Carbon Management in Energy (CCME) and the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota, hosted the CCUS Technical Forum on April 29 at the UH Sugar Land campus. The event brought together over 100 attendees, including industry experts, researchers, and member organizations, to share insights on the latest developments in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), with a focus on commercialization, risk management, and emerging technologies.
The forum opened with remarks from Kevin Connors (EERC) and Charles McConnell (xecutive director, CCME), who highlighted the growing role of CCUS as both a decarbonization pathway and a driver of enhanced oil recovery (EOR). They emphasized the importance of aligning technical innovation with scalable, real-world deployment. “Collaboration with the PCOR partnership and the leadership at the EERC in North Dakota was welcomed by UH CCME as the broad-based commercialization of CCUS/EOR will require best practices commercially and technically,” said McConnell.
The first session focused on commercialization and opportunity, highlighting the pivotal role of CO2-EOR in advancing CCUS adoption. Presentations explored applications in unconventional reservoirs and strategies for producing lower-carbon oil.
The second session addressed transport, injection well materials, and system modeling. Discussions examined environmental impacts on CCUS systems as well as challenges related to CO2 pipeline impurities and safety considerations such as simulated release scenarios and emergency response planning.
Later sessions focused on policy and subsurface risk, covering Class VI permitting, 45Q tax credit reporting, and risk-based approaches to reservoir evaluation. The discussions also addressed the behavior of legacy wells, particularly in the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The forum also featured technical discussions on geomechanics and induced seismicity, highlighting the role of fracture modeling and fault-slip analysis in improving predictive capabilities and reducing project risk. A final session on CCUS monitoring showcased field demonstrations and emerging technologies aimed at enhancing measurement and verification.
The event concluded with reflections from leadership and a networking reception, allowing attendees to continue discussions and strengthen industry connections.